by Maura McCrann

November 5, 2005 was going to be my fourth Ironman, and a return to the course of my first Ironman race. Going into the day, I was unsure of what to expect. After an amazing first Ironman in 2002, followed by two lackluster races over the next two years, I wasn’t sure if I could have another “great” race, despite substantially more training leading up to this race. I also worried that even if I did do enough training, an event out of my control (like a shark attack in the swim or multiple flats (Timberman anyone???) could undo my day.

Thankfully, I was able to put all these worries aside and get a goodnight sleep the night before the race. Patrick and I met up with our friends at 5:15am to head to the race start. We had two Ironman newbies, Robin and Rex, as well as a veteran racer, Matt, and they were all remarkably calm as we made our way to the transition area. After we were all body marked, tires were pumped, and wetsuits on, we headed down to the beach, where we met up with Patrick, our friend Sue and my parents, the best cheering section you could ask for!

We made our way to the ocean edge, and the race became a reality. I seeded myself a few rows back and tried to relax and suddenly the canon went off and 2000+ triathletes went running into the water. The first loop of the swim was pretty rough, as the waves kept tossing us all into one another, resulting in swallowing a lot of salt water, but before long I was up running across the beach to head out to the second loop. A quick glance at my watch read 33 minutes, a bit faster then expected, a quick wave to my cheering section and I was back in. Loop 2, as always, was a lot less crowded and I felt able to get in some solid swimming, and then the swim was over and I was running up the beach toward the transition area, swim time 1:12:01, a 2 minute PR, so far so good! I exited the water in 833th place.

Thanks to amazing volunteers, I had my bike gear and was headed out on the bike in a little over 4 minutes. As I crossed the line to mount the bike, my amazing family was right there, snapping pictures and cheering despite the massive crowds. The first few miles on the bike I reviewed my race strategy, keep my heart rate in zone 2 and my cadence as close to 90 as possible. I knew sticking to this would help save my legs for the run. As always, I was passed by lots of people, many of whom where breathing hard or pounding on their pedals. Seeing this made it easy for me to stick to my plan, as I knew I would be passing many of these people on the run. Unlike my past two Ironman races, I actually found myself passing a few people on the bike, which was a great feeling. As the miles clicked away, I became very aware of the wind, it felt like a constant head or cross wind, no matter which way we turned….where was that tailwind?? Despite the wind, the bike was amazing. The sun was shining, but the wind kept us from overheating, and the crowds along the course were inspiring. Every 10-15 miles I would see a maroon car with a woman in front of it cheering like crazy, waiting for her husband “Bob” to bike by. Lucky for me, Bob stayed behind me somewhere all day, so I got cheered on by this one woman at least six times! Just before mile 80, I saw my friend Robin starting the out and back section I was just finishing, she looked great and was smiling, and we were able to cheer one another on.

By mile 100, I was getting more and more excited, I felt awesome, no fatigue, and I was averaging 18.6 MPH, and then we made one of the final turns back toward the transition area and things changed fast. The headwind was unrelenting, everyone was as far down in the aero position as they could get just grinding it out trying to keep moving forward. My speed dropped to 14MPH, though I was still able to pass cyclist after cyclist, many worn out from pushing hard in the earlier miles. I was pushing hard, trying to get to transition in under 6:17, my previous bike time. I rolled in at 6:11:58.a PR bike (1078th place), plus no flat tires and no crashes!!! I handed my bike to a volunteer, grabbed my bike to run bag and headed to the porta potty. 4:49 later my bike shoes were replaced with sneakers and I was running out to the marathon course. The crowds were great and I found myself in tears as I ran. I had made it to the run, for me, this is always when I know that I am going to finish the day and am overcome with emotion more than any other time during the day.

As I started the run, I evaluated my day so far, my bike strategy had worked well, so I held back on the run, keeping my pace at 10 minute miles, running through the aid stations determined not to walk until the pain really kicked in. Bella Comeford, the women’s race leader ran by me at as she started her second loop, it was cool to have the race leader, looking so strong and determined go sprinting by. I also got to see Chris Ramsey, a teammate of Patrick’s, finishing his first loop and starting his second…he looked amazingly strong and calm, and we cheered each other on. As I rounded the turn toward mile 5, there was Patrick, Sue, my parents, and a few other friends cheering like crazy. I saw Matt and Rex heading back on the course as I headed toward the turn around. The sun was still shining, but the temperature had dropped and the aid stations were stocked with cool wet sponges for us. Mile 8.5 and it was back past my cheering crowd. As I approached the turn around, the crowds were fantastic, and I realized if I was able to keep the pace, I could break 12 hours, but realistically, I knew that keeping pace for another 13 miles would be pretty unlikely. By mile 15 it felt like someone had taken a hammer to my quads…I SO wanted to walk, but mentally decided I would not walk until I saw my family again at mile 17.5, what a long 2.5 miles that was. As I approached Patrick and Sue, who were still cheering non stop for every racer, I slowed to a walk, they told me Rex was not too far ahead and I resumed running with hopes of meeting up with him. As I entered the park at mile 18, volunteers were giving out glowsticks, as a good part of the next 3 miles would be in total darkness. At mile 18 I decided to start walking through aid stations. This was a tough decision, as it meant the end of my short lived dream of a sub 12 hour Ironman, but the pain won out. Right after the mile 21 aid station, I came upon Rex and we walked and talked for a moment. He was doing amazing, especially given he had bleeding blisters on his feet and had missed a lot of run training due to injury, and this was his first marathon! My fondest memory is his statement “this is a lot harder than I thought it would be”…that pretty much sums up the marathon of an Ironman! We wished each other well and I started running again, passing a smiling Robin, for the third time…gotta love the out and back courses.

I passed my parents and Patrick for the final time, Patrick ran beside me for a minute telling me I had 67 minutes to get to the finish line if I wanted to beat my previous time of 12:22. This was the perfect motivation, he didn’t press me to get back on pace for a sub 12, but knew that this would be my final Ironman for a while and that I would be thrilled to PR. I kept running, walking for 1-2 minutes through the next few aid stations, but mentally willing myself to start running again. I passed Matt, who was having a tough run, having gotten sick a number of times but still managing words of encouragement. At Mile 24, I throw away my glowstick, the gel and jellybeans I have been clutching for dear life and decided there would be no more walking, I rounded the corner for the final 1.5 miles, thinking of how amazing this day had been, I had a great day, enjoyed every moment, feeling so alive and strong, it was hard to not get emotional knowing I was heading in toward the lights for my final Ironman finish (at least for now). I rounded the corner to head uphill (ouch) toward the finish, seeing my parents cheering madly, and then the final corner, and there was Sue and Patrick amidst hundreds of cheering spectators, I high-fived them as I ran toward that amazing finish line. Part of me wanted so badly to stop and walk those final steps, savoring every moment, but somehow your brain doesn’t let your body slow to a walk, so in seconds I am across the line.

My marathon time, 4:35, not a PR, but fast enough to pass 259 people on the run, so I guess slow and steady still gets it done. Total time: 12:09:08, 819th place overall, 132nd woman finisher, 24th in my age group. A phenomenal day…by 3am (too sore to sleep) my head was spinning with thoughts of breaking 12 hours next time….the lure of the Ironman continues..

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